An URL for a great new, FREE online ezine (full color, downloadable
PDF) from France, called Frog of War, was provided on the
StrategyZoneOnline Boardgames forum. I checked it out and it had a
fascinating strategy article on Paths of Glory by Thomas Pouchin. I
realize that a lot of people won't benefit from it because they do
not read French, but I took the liberty of translating and posting
these otpional rules from that article. If you've been burned by
those OOS rules, you may want to try these. They look more
interesting to me, but I haven't tried them. Here goes:
Paths of Glory - Optional Rules from Frog of War #2
By Thomas Pouchin
Optional Rules:
The rules which govern encirclement such that supply is cut off are
far too severe and not very realistic. They are too severe because
the encircled units are immediately immobilized and inactive. They
are so unrealistic that the units surrounded at the beginning of the
turn have to be able to be held for six rounds and those surrounded
at the end of the turn do not have to be retained even one round. In
the first case, this is much too long (very much!) and in the
second, it is truly too short (five plays [too short]).
These rules would replace section 14.3 "Out of Supply Effects."
They mitigate a few of the overwhelming effects of encirclements
entirely in restoring more realism. Thus, avoiding those gamers who
do not search systematically for sudden death and thus giving to
[both] sides more of a chance of going beyond 1915.
14.3 Out of Supply Effects
14.3.1 The OOS units are able to be activated in the operational
phase by [spending] one activation point for each.
14.3.2 The OOS units are not able to benefit from strategic
redeployment.
14.3.3 The OOS units are not able to build [new] trenches but they
do benefit from the trenches already in place.
14.3.4 The OOS units which are defending are not able to receive any
benefits from combat cards.
14.3.5 The OOS units are able to hold for three consecutive rounds
(that is, three rounds of the owner of the units that are OOS).
First round after being placed OOS. The OOS units have a potential
for a movement of 1 if they are activated and [they are] not able to
attack.
Second round after being placed OOS. The units are no longer able to
be activated.
Third round after being placed OOS. The units take one step loss.
Fourth round after being placed OOS. The units are completely
eliminated and not able to be reconstructed.
14.3.6 To mark the advancement of rounds, the gamer will turn the
OOS units one quarter of a turn to the right on each occasion.
14.3.7 The attrition phase disappears. A unit may be OOS for a
little while across two seasons.
14.3.8 If a unit is placed OOS in a winter turn, the process of
attrition is reduced by one round. The second round is not applied
and it passes directly to the third round (reducing by one step).
This rule is applied in the same way if the process of attrition is
across the winter and spring seasons.